Top 10: The Biggest Stories of 2020 at RadioTexasLIVE.com
From a Red Dirt legend opening up about the break up of one of the scene's most prolific bands, to Koe's mom's pipes, and a 20 year old video of Jason Boland and Stoney LaRue surfacing on YouTube, all wrapped up in a world wide pandemic, 2020 was a roller coaster.
Here at Radio Texas, LIVE!, we pride ourselves on bringing you the latest Texas, Red Dirt (and Tyler Childers, Sturgill Simpson) news. From our weekly live radio show to our 5-star rated Radio Texas, LIVE! app, we enjoy bringing you breaking stories, op-eds, videos, and most importantly 24/7, commercial-free Texas and Red Dirt music directly to your phone with the app. If you still haven't downloaded our app, time to join the thousands who have and are already enjoying the premiere Texas & Red Dirt app. Get it for IOS here, or for Android right here.
Without further adieu here they are, The Biggest Stories of 2020 at RadioTexasLIVE.com.
10. The Tribute to Cody Canada & The Music of Cross Canadian Ragweed ‘The Years’ is Out in January (November 2020)
We all miss Ragweed, more than Koe Wetzel and that girl do. Well, buck up we've got some good news for you. That MusicFest tribute that was recorded back in January is now available for preorder. In arguably the last good thing to happen in 2020, Cody Canada and Cross Canadian Ragweed were honored in Steamboat Springs, Colo with the "MusicFest Tribute to Cody Canada & The Music of Cross Canadian Ragweed."
9. Koe Wetzel’s Mom Has Got Pipes, Hear Her Sing Patsy Cline ‘She’s Got You’ (March 2020)
Yes, Karen we know Koe Wetzel concerts are full of foul language and beer. It's why we keep going to them. Koe's rowdy, and it's great. You can't compete with a live Koe show. The one downfall may be that sometimes his reputation gets his talent overlooked. And now, thanks to this 2011 video, we know which side of the family Koe got his pipes from, mama Wetzel... No offense, Gary Dale.
8. LISTEN UP! Parker McCollum Sings Tim McGraw Smash ‘Don’t Take The Girl (July 2020)
Just a few months before he'd land his first career No. 1 single, The Limestone Kid was hanging out with my pals Big D and Bubba, when he dropped an epic-early-morning Tim McGraw cover of "Don't Take The Girl." Man, what a great song. I was 13-years-old when this one came out to radio, and even then it had me chopping onions.
7. 1999 Jason Boland & The Stragglers and Special Guest Stoney LaRue LIVE at Wormy Dog Saloon (August 2020)
This is great for Straggler fans, and old Wormy Dog Saloon fans alike. We came across a 30-minute-long video of a 21-year-old set from Jason Boland & The Stragglers at the famed Wormy Dog in Stillwater, OK. Two decades later Jason Boland & The Stragglers have cemented themselves among the best country bands ever assembled.
6. Cody Jinks Sings ‘He Walked On Water’ Alongside a Special Guest (July 2020)
Spearheaded by Courtney Patton and Jason Eady, The Sequestered Songwriters is a virtual show live streamed each week on the guest artist's pages. In July the singers honored Randy Travis. Leave it to Cody Jinks to have the week's honoree on his couch while singing "He Walked on Water." The story and touching video went semi-viral for us over the summer.
5. The Top 5 BEST Whiskey Myers Songs Of-All-Time (August 2019)
Whiskey Myers is one of the most prolific bands to come out of Texas in the past decade. The lauded southern rockers have released four studio albums (2008's Road of Life, 2011's Firewater, 2014's Early Morning Shakes, and 2016's Mud), and after careful deliberation we here at Radio Texas, LIVE! have assembled Our Top 5 Whiskey Myers Songs Of-All-Time. Out story originally posted in mid-2019 found new life in 2020.
4. Cody Canada Chronicles the Timeline of Cross Canadian Ragweed’s Breakup (February 2020)
In Part 2 of his interview with The PlayList, Cody took us through the timeline of Cross Canadian Ragweed's breakup, and we were riveted, "I was really pissed off. It was coming, we saw it coming. If you watch any band that breaks up you can see the date that they split and go backwards and see it coming... When it did go down it went down in a heated argument. There was a lot of anger, and then the next day I was kinda scared... Sixteen years is a good run... getting back together will never happen."
3. Wade Bowen & Miranda Lambert Bring Down The House With a George Strait Cover "A Fire I Can't Put Out" (August 2020)
"As we all lemanted the good ol'days of live concerts, in August we celebrated the three year anniversary of Miranda Lambert inviting Wade Bowen on stage where the two friends performed George Strait’s “A Fire I Can’t Put Out” -- to the delight of everyone in attendance. At the time Wade and Randy Rogers Band were opening up a run of shows with Miranda."
2. Cody Johnson, Aaron Watson, Koe Wetzel, & Many More to Play Virtual Concert for Farmers (April 2020)
"Soon after COVID struck, and early on in the lockdown the "You're Still Farming, We're Still Singing" virtual concert became one of the first ambitious live streaming events. Streamed on the Billy Bob's Texas Facebook page, it was absolutely free to enjoy, and collected donations to help our farmers will be welcomed. Donations will go directly to the Texas FFA Foundation."
1. Cody Canada Discusses Koe Wetzel’s ‘Ragweed’, Being The MusicFest 2020 Tribute Artist, & More (January 2020)
Koe Wetzel's rise, his band's swagger, and their undeniable popularity has drawn countless comparisons to Cross Canadian Ragweed, and Cody certainly sees it. Something that he discussed during a sit-down with Kacey James at the PlayList, "The not giving a sh*t, but giving a sh*t," Cody says his band did it, Koe is doing it. "You guys act like you don't care, but you really do... I endorse everything he does. I'm proud of him."
We are proud to be an outlet for so many of you each year, but this year in particular, thank you for taking us along for the ride. We'll see y'all in 2021.
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